EMORY UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
1. Target Overview & Investment Thesis
EMORY UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL is a 639-bed large academic medical center in DEKALB, GA with $1.42B in net patient revenue and a 5.4% operating margin. The hospital serves a payer mix of 20.2% Medicare, 9.9% Medicaid, and 69.8% commercial.
Thesis: Platform Growth. Our ML models identify $104.8M in annual EBITDA improvement potential from RCM optimization across 5 levers, lifting margin from 5.4% to 12.8% (+736bps).
| Net Revenue HCRIS | $1.42B |
| Current EBITDA COMPUTED | $77.5M |
| Operating Margin COMPUTED | 5.4% |
| Occupancy HCRIS | 83.3% |
| Revenue / Bed COMPUTED | $2.2M |
| Net-to-Gross HCRIS | 31.5% |
| Distress Probability ML | 42.1% |
2. Market Context & Competitive Position
GA has 165 Medicare-certified hospitals with a median operating margin of -2.8%. The target's margin of 5.4% places it above the state median. Among 20 size-comparable peers (320-1278 beds), the median margin is -2.5%. The target performs in line with or above peers.
3. RCM Performance Analysis — Comparable Hospitals
Comps selected by bed count (320-1278), prioritizing same-state peers. 20 hospitals in the comp set.
| Hospital | State | Beds | Revenue | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EMORY UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL (Target) | GA | 639 | $1.42B | 5.4% |
| NORTHSIDE HOSPITAL | GA | 719 | $2.58B | -7.9% |
| NORTHEAST GEORGIA MEDICAL CENT | GA | 645 | $1.55B | 4.4% |
| KENNESTONE HOSPITAL | GA | 642 | $1.50B | 15.3% |
| EMORY UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL MIDT | GA | 548 | $1.37B | -15.4% |
| PIEDMONT HOSPITAL INC. | GA | 569 | $1.32B | 4.0% |
| GRADY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL | GA | 694 | $1.19B | -39.6% |
| NORTHSIDE HOSPITAL - GWINNETT | GA | 404 | $1.07B | -2.5% |
| EGLESTON CHILDRENS HOSPITAL AT | GA | 330 | $941.9M | 41.5% |
4. Predicted Improvement Opportunities
Improvement targets set at P75 of comparable peers with 60% gap closure assumption. Coefficients calibrated to published research bands. Total EBITDA uplift: $104.8M (736bps margin improvement).
| Lever | Current | Target | EBITDA Impact | Margin | Ramp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Collection Rate | 93.5% | 97.0% | $29.9M | +210bp | 18mo |
| Cost to Collect | 4.5% | 2.5% | $28.5M | +200bp | 12mo |
| Denial Rate Reduction | 12.0% | 6.5% | $28.2M | +198bp | 12mo |
| A/R Days Reduction | 5200.0% | 3800.0% | $17.3M | +122bp | 9mo |
| Clean Claim Rate | 88.0% | 96.0% | $911K | +6bp | 6mo |
5. EBITDA Bridge
| Current EBITDA | $77.5M |
| + RCM Uplift | +$104.8M |
| Pro Forma EBITDA | $182.3M |
| Current Margin | 5.4% |
| Pro Forma Margin | 12.8% |
| WC Released (1x) | $54.6M |
6. Returns Analysis — Scenario Matrix
5-year hold, 5.5x leverage, 3% organic growth, 10%/yr debt paydown. Base case uses 100% of predicted RCM uplift. Bull case: 130% uplift at lower entry. Bear case: 50% uplift at higher entry.
| Scenario | Entry | Exit | Equity In | Equity Out | MOIC | IRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base Case | 10.0x | 10.0x | $119.2M | $1.56B | 13.08x | 67.2% |
| Base (11x exit) | 10.0x | 11.0x | $119.2M | $1.75B | 14.72x | 71.2% |
| Bull Case | 9.0x | 11.0x | $107.3M | $2.14B | 19.94x | 81.9% |
| Bull (12x exit) | 9.0x | 12.0x | $107.3M | $2.36B | 22.04x | 85.6% |
| Bear Case | 11.0x | 10.0x | $131.1M | $996.6M | 7.60x | 50.0% |
| Bear (11x exit) | 11.0x | 11.0x | $131.1M | $1.14B | 8.68x | 54.1% |
7. Key Risks & Mitigants
| Severity | Risk Factor | Mitigant |
|---|---|---|
| Medium | Standard execution risk | RCM improvement requires management buy-in and 12-18 month implementation timeline |
8. Data Sources & Methodology Appendix
Data Sources
- CMS HCRIS Cost Reports (Medicare-certified hospitals)
- CMS Medicare Utilization (DRG-level volumes)
- CMS Chronic Conditions (county-level disease prevalence)
- HCRIS multi-year trend data (financial time series)
Comparable Selection
- 20 hospitals with 320-1278 beds
- Same-state prioritization (n=21)
- Comp margins: P25=-10.2% / P50=-2.5% / P75=2.9%
Bridge Methodology
- Targets: P75 of comparable peers (60% gap closure)
- Denial: avoidable share = 35% of delta × NPR
- AR: bad debt coefficient = $0.65 per day per $1K NPR
- NCR: 60% coefficient on collection rate improvement
- CDI: 0.75% of Medicare revenue per 0.01 CMI point
Returns Assumptions
- Leverage: 5.5x entry (84.6% debt / 15.4% equity)
- Organic growth: 3% annual EBITDA growth
- Debt paydown: 10% of principal per year
- Hold period: 5 years
Generated by SeekingChartis on April 26, 2026. All predictions use public data only. Confidence intervals calibrated via split conformal prediction (90% coverage target). This memo is for informational purposes and does not constitute investment advice.